CVE-2024-25029
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedIBM Personal Communications 14.0.6 through 15.0.1 includes a Windows service that is vulnerable to remote code execution (RCE) and local privilege escalation (LPE). The vulnerability allows any unprivileged user with network access to a target computer to run commands with full privileges in the context of NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. This allows for a low privileged attacker to move laterally to affected systems and to escalate their privileges. IBM X-Force ID: 281619.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceIBM Personal Communications versions 14.0.6 through 15.0.1 contain a vulnerable Windows service that allows any unprivileged user with network access to execute arbitrary commands in the context of NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM, enabling both remote code execution and local privilege escalation.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data>= 14.0.6, <= 15.0.1CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Changed
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Locate IBM Personal Communications installationSearch for the application in Windows Program Files directory, typically under 'C:\Program Files\IBM\Personal Communications' or 'C:\Program Files (x86)\IBM\Personal Communications'. Check Add/Remove Programs or the registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for IBM Personal Communications entry.Affected if IBM Personal Communications is found installed on the system
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Determine installed version numberOpen the application's About dialog from the Help menu, or check the version property of the main executable (pcomm.exe) in the installation directory. The version will appear in the format such as '14.0.6', '14.0.7', '15.0.0', or '15.0.1'.Affected if The installed version falls within 14.0.6 through 15.0.1 inclusive
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Identify the vulnerable Windows serviceOpen Services.msc and look for IBM Personal Communications-related services, or run 'sc query type= service state= all' and filter for 'IBM' or 'Personal Communications' entries. Common service names may include 'IBMPcService' or similar.Affected if A service associated with IBM Personal Communications is present and running
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Check service configuration and privilegesRun 'sc qc <service_name>' to query the service configuration, noting the binary path and startup type. Verify if the service runs under a high-privilege account like LocalSystem.Affected if The service runs under NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM or a similarly privileged account
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Assess network exposureDetermine if the affected system is reachable on the network by checking active listening ports and firewall rules. The vulnerable service accepts network connections that allow unprivileged users to send commands.Affected if The system with the vulnerable service is network-accessible to untrusted users
The environment is affected if IBM Personal Communications version 14.0.6 through 15.0.1 is installed, the associated Windows service is present and running, and the system is network-accessible to unprivileged users.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scopedApply available IBM patches for Personal Communications. Until patched, restrict network access to affected systems and consider disabling the vulnerable service if possible.
IBM Personal Communications 15.0.2 or later (latest available version)
- 1. Verify the current IBM Personal Communications version by checking 'About' in the application or using 'ipcver' command from command line
- 2. If version is between 14.0.6 and 15.0.1 inclusive, plan for upgrade
- 3. Download the latest IBM Personal Communications version from IBM Fix Central (https://www.ibm.com/support/fixcentral/)
- 4. Ensure all users close IBM Personal Communications before upgrading
- 5. Run the installer with administrator privileges
- 6. After installation, verify the new version is 15.0.2 or later
- 7. Test critical workflows to ensure functionality is maintained
- 8. Verify the Windows service no longer allows unprivileged users to execute code as SYSTEM
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-25029 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-25029 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data